Cold Storage Boost

The cost of warehouse storage has been increasing in recent years, and for businesses running cold storage warehouses the cost per square metre of storage space is significantly higher.

As a cold storage facility storing both chilled and frozen goods, Jordan International Transport, which specialises in refrigerated and dry transport, was looking to improve the ratio of stored products and the amount of space needed to access them in its purpose-built facility in Moy, Northern Ireland

The company chose the Combilift WR walkie reach stacker for its ability to lift loads up to 1,450kg in weight up to a maximum height of 4.9m in aisle widths as narrow as 2.1m.

The Combi WR features a multiposition tiller arm and electric power steering. This enables push-button control of the rear wheel parallel to the chassis and back, allowing the operator to remain at the side of the unit when operating in a narrow aisle. This improves operator safety and eliminates the risk of an operator being stuck between the unit and racking.

Being positioned to the side of the unit during lifting operations also improves forward visibility because the operator has a full view of the load, tynes and their surrounds. This means the operator can respond to any failures faster.

The WR stacker features pantograph reach, enabling the unit to reach further into racking. This makes it suitable for working with double-density pallet racking, enabling Jordan International Transport to further capitalise on available storage space.

Together with new, narrow aisle racking and the WR’s ability to operate in narrower aisles, Jordan International Transport was able to store 35% more sellable products in the same warehouse footprint. As a result, the freezer cooling systems were able to work more efficiently, cooling the same area but more products. This had a positive effect on Jordan’s bottom line.

“The freezer system must work just as hard to cool the relatively unproductive areas set aside for access. With standard racking and conventional forklifts such as the counterbalance and pallet trucks we were previously using, only about half of the space could be used for storage,” Barry McIlvanna, storage/distribution manager at Jordan International, explained.

“With the new system, this has risen to 85%, so our freezer circuit can operate much more efficiently and therefore more cost-effectively.”